Jasmine Franklin scored 17 points and grabbed a Missouri State NCAA Tournament-record 18 rebounds, and Brice Calip scored a game-high 18 points, as the fifth-seeded Lady Bears dominated for a 70-51 victory Monday night over 12th-seeded UC Davis in NCAA Alamo Region First Round play at Bill Greehey Arena.
The 17th-ranked Lady Bears (22-2) led 29-14 midway through the second quarter of their 18th consecutive victory, but UC Davis (13-3) countered with a 12-0 run before opening the second half with a trio of 3-pointers to take a 34-33 lead with 7:42 left in the third, but Sydney Wilson scored 11 seconds later to regain the lead as Missouri State went on a 17-0 run that carried into the fourth quarter pushing MSU ahead 50-34 with 9:08 left in the game.
The Lady Bears will play 13th-seeded Wright State (19-7) on Wednesday at 2 p.m. CT in the second round after the Raiders upset Arkansas on Monday for their first ever tournament win.
